Gambling In This Wonderful World
by EROVYT
Summary: Everyone's luck eventually runs out, and they must be prepared to pay the price. (Rate M for dark themes, gore, and other things).
1. A Rough Start

In the calming void of purgatory, the goddess of fortune had finished striking a deal with a recently deceased youth from Japan. She is a kind woman with a gentle voice. With silver hair that had an aura of compassion, and purple eyes that promised no ill-intent would be delivered in her care. He sat on a normal chair in front of her, as she sits on a white throne.

Even when she delivered the sad news to the boy about his death in Japan, her voice was soft as a cloud. Despite his death being one of betrayal from a lover, and horrible body alteration from chemicals, her gentle approach, and childish humor managed to calm him from his psychotic breakdown - going as far as to get a laugh out of him!

She didn't mock him when he cried time and time again, unable to grasp the fact of how his skin turned into an ugly pale white, his hair dry and chemically eroded to be a disgusting black, and how his eyes now seemed like they were always bloodshot.

She calmed him down he discovered that Hell existed, as he feared he was destined to be there for killing his girlfriend in rage. He remembers how everything hurt that day, from his chemically damaged body to his broken heart… he can only remember sneaking away from the scene of his girlfriend talking about the success of her plan to her lover.

There were moments where he thought she was cheating on him, but he was blinded by love. So after seeing her passionately kiss that other girl, he sneaked away not hearing the reasons for why she did the deed… and returned with something heavy to cave her skull in. The other girl got away, but by the time the police arrived, he had already beaten his ex-girlfriend's body to a point where she was nothing more than a pile of flesh, crushed bones, popped organs, and stained clothes.

He didn't stop beating her body even after the police opened fire and filled his body with bullets.

She goddess before her told him of the aftermath. "Although the news of what you did to your ex-girlfriend portrayed you as a monster, her lover caved-in from guilt at seeing what happened to you and told the police everything." She gave him a reassuring smile. "A lot of people came to your funeral to give your parents support…"

"Why did she do it?" He interrupted the goddess, the damage to his throat made it sound like he is whispering. "What did I do to her that would make her hate me so much…?"

She looked at him with pity. "It would be better if you don't know, but don't worry, it was not your fault."

More time had passed as he grew silent, staring off at the darkness. Even after the goddess proposed his options of the afterlife. Although he didn't ask her to, she explained how he can be reincarnated back in Japan as a baby - a clean reset. And despite his sin of taking a life, he led a morally good life and earned his way into Heaven.

Still no reaction.

It all changed when she explained his third option. A fantasy world being tormented by the Demon King, and in response, the gods would reincarnate people from other worlds to this world. Giving these reincarnates a 'cheat' item to help them survive and thrive against the forces of evil.

And since his body is in its poor condition, her superiors granted him _another _cheat item to take with him to the new world!

Hours have passed when he finally made his decision to go to the fantasy world. It surprised her since she assumed he would go to a heavenly paradise or have a fresh start in life. Even more, time was spent discussing the functions and mechanics of his two cheat items - although the goddess of fortune was really confused about why one of his items does more harm to the user than it does good.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" She asked, holding out the requested items. A small pouch containing magical dice, and 22 special cards made out of thick ivory being held in a leather deck case.

"Of course." He took them from her, before tying the strings of the pouch around his left wrist. He felt a dark aura from the cards in the deck case, which magically stuck to the left side of his hip. "If there is no misfortune in life, then we will never appreciate the good things we have."

"But why do you wish to be renamed as… Am?" It would be effortless to do so, and she saw no reason to deny him, but she is confused as to why someone would cast away the name they were given at birth.

"Cogito ergo sum - _I think, therefore I am,_" Am replied. "It's a quote from a philosopher who doubted everything as there was no way to prove everything around him was actually real, and not a deception because even his senses deceived him." He counted off his fingers. "Mishearing words… misidentifying objects in the distance… he even had dreams where he would wake up and move as if he were awake. The only certainty in this abyss of doubt was the fact that _thinking _proved to himself that he exists."

"Do you believe that everything around you isn't real?" The goddess looked worried at him; it's dangerous for anyone to be detached from reality.

"The only certainty I have is that I exist," Am said. "Everything is nothing more than a matter of perception. My mouth tastes like blood. The air feels like needles against my skin. Even you look blurry. So is that correct? Am I currently drinking blood as the air literally stabs me while I have a conversation with a foggy humanoid deity? I don't even know your name."

"My name is Eris, goddess of fortune and luck… I'm sorry that your body is like this," She said with sadness. "This has to be a mistake - you should've gotten a new body!"

"Life is always unfair." Am shrugged. "I know that now."

"This isn't life," Eriis gestured to the nothingness around them. "Not yet anyways, and it doesn't have to be if you wish to move on to Heaven instead; you do have options."

"It sounds too good to be true," He shook his head, his hand twitching on his lap from the formerly blissful memories of his ex-girlfriend. The very idea of a tortured soul is given eternal bliss just sounded too cliche to be real. Like the possibility of finding love. "No… I'm not falling for something like that again, just send me to the new world."

"You could be reincarnated back in your old world!" She proposed once again with a positive spin. "Those who had horrible lives are given a better life!"

"But I would forget everything that happened to me." He reminded her. "I'm not going to be reduced to a naive child again… it's just too painful learning life's hard lessons."

"But-!"

"Please." Am interrupted with a tired voice. "Just honor my request. Heaven sounds like a lie. If I reincarnate, I will just foolishly die painfully again. If I go to this fantasy world, I will at least obtain the wisdom I have."

"And the body you died with!" Eris said. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Whatever happens... happens." He shrugged. "I'm done."

She let out a sad sigh. "Then I can only wish you good luck..." With a mere gesture, the void above broke and spiraled away, revealing an indescribable holy entropy that lifted up from his chair while being embracing him in white light. Am thought it was too beautiful to be real to exist in an ugly reality. Before the light completely engulfed him, he saw a mote of beautiful silver light flow from her and into his chest. "...and give you a bit of help myself. Just try not to make the same mistake as the last guy did with my Superior."

Before he could ponder what she meant, Am found himself standing on a dirt path in the middle of a town. The unpolluted sky let the sun's rays cast down on his pale skin, causing it to quickly turn into a painful shade of light red. When he breathed in the clean air, he felt as if his lungs were rejecting it as a foreign pathogen. Every step his body took sent aches throughout his body, and when he stopped to rest under some shade in an alleyway, it felt as if needles of agony were sent crawling around his muscles.

As he slumped against the alley's brick wall, he realized he could understand the people of this foreign world. He knew this world's currency is called eris. He knows he is in the town of Axel, a place of beginner Adventurers. He is aware he didn't possess that knowledge before... or does he?

Just how much of his mind has been tampered? It would be easy to confirm what is and what isn't by recalling memories, but now that his mind is filled by an outside force, how much of his own mind can he trust?

"I think, therefore I am," Am said to himself, his damaged throat making it a whisper. "I exist with knowledge I didn't have. Was it the mote of light that Eris gave me?" There was no way to be sure, and it was too late to ask her. Although this world did provide some confidence that Eris is real, and not a terrible fever dream.

"But what do I do now?" Am asked himself as he stood up, lost as he walked as everything is blurry. He knew the signs on the walls and the labels on the market stalls said something; it was trying to seek through murky water. "I can't read anything."


	2. Beginner's Luck

The sun was already starting to set. The hot rays from above had been replaced by a cloudless night, and the absence of heat made AM's skin be covered in goosebumps. The sweat from his dirty clothes felt like ice that was rubbing against his skin. The noise from the day had been reduced to a deafening silence at night, but with his other senses being aggravated due to his damaged body, even his own footsteps echoing with each step irritates him.

After walking hours into the night, he rested against the wall of a building, and he couldn't tell if it was a different structure or the same one near the alley he rested in earlier. Maybe he was walking in circles and he just didn't realize it. Everything was harder to see at night without light, and he couldn't be certain, for the only thing he is certain about is the lack of direction.

It was only when his hand brushed against a plaquette, the sudden sense of touching material shooting aches through his forearm, he traced his fingers along the foreign letters, and managed to identify the building he was resting against.

**Church of Eris.**

**Open all hours; for faith, does not have a time limit.**

Am felt his doubt building up. After talking to the goddess who helped him, now he is taking sanctuary in her church? It was too much of a coincidence.

He entered the building, his body aching from moving all day. "What are the odds…?" If there were any people inside the church, they would have given Am an odd glance lingering far longer than normal. With his throat hurt and losing most of his voice, no one could hear him talk, making it appear he is talking to himself. His appearance was such an eye-sore, people choose to ignore his presence and go one with their lives.

As he quietly moved into the grande building, he took a seat in what he assumed was a pew. Whatever it was, he was able to properly sit on something clean - until he moved his hands on the surface of his seat, and felt the collected dust. "Is this place abandoned?" He asked himself as he continued to try and see his surroundings, the moonlight shining through with the silence gave it all a haunting atmosphere in the religious building.

It made Am feel small, and it only got worse when he was left alone with nothing but his thoughts.

Multiple gods watching over multiple domains of mortals. Each one having their own religions. And within one religion, there are at least scores of people capable of doing good and bad. He was in the former and suffered from the latter. The more Am thought about it, the more he just wanted to stay still, look at anything with an unfocused gaze, and wait to cease from existing.

It just felt easier that way.

The sounds of the church's grande doors closing distracted him from his thoughts - he didn't notice them opening, or the person walking in before letting out a startled yelp of his appearance. It sounded female, or it could be one of those males who scream femininity, either way, the sound made his ears felt as if they were being dug from the inside out.

Am glanced in the direction of the noise and saw a person awkwardly fidgeting from his blood-shot gaze. He just ignored the person.

Some time had passed, and in the corner of his vision, he saw someone approach where he is sitting. Am made no effort to acknowledge this person or bothered to move. His eyes had a distant look as he continued to stare at the statue of the goddess of luck.

Everything felt slow. Am felt a piece of him become lost every time he exhales his shallow breath. Feeling the burning sensation on his bloodshot eyes smothering into a tired stinging under his eyelids, Am closed them and went to sleep.

* * *

Like a switch being flipped in his skull, he felt his heart stop. He couldn't breathe. He felt weightless. Everything became numb and dark, endlessly falling while hearing the echoing of horrifying feminine laughter.

The sudden moon growing above him illuminated the thick, chemical vapor pooling down below. The laughter grew crueler and louder, and Am let out a scream of his own as his body crashed into the lake of body-altering chemicals

* * *

"Ah!" AM's bloodshot eyes snapped open, startling a blonde woman with light blue eyes that are alert of the sudden movement, and curious of his appearance. As she quickly removed her hands from his shoulders, easing the stinging on his sensitive skin; Am can see that her hair is tied back in a ponytail as she wore some kind of armor that made her look like a knight.

It really was like a fantasy game. But Am had given up on such delusions of becoming more, and just settled for embracing the randomness of life. He just inwardly shrugged and went along with it. "...Why are you staring at me?"

"I-I'm sorry," The woman stuttered before composing herself. "And I'm sorry for my outburst earlier - it's just that I'm usually alone this early in the morning."

"Morning?" Am managed to say, despite his heart pounding out of his chest. At first, he thought he merely slept until morning, but considering the same girl who entered was here apologizing to him, he doubts she just waited for hours before talking to him. Apparently what he thought was moonlight when he entered was actually the breaking light of a sunrise, and must have wondered around town a lot longer than he thought. "It's morning already?"

"Yes," She nodded. "But when I entered, you just stared at me, then went back to staring at nothing before falling asleep… I think?"

"You think?"

"You were unnaturally still," She explained. "When I made my way to the front, I saw how badly you were sunburnt, but then I didn't see your chest rising - I thought you were dead!"

"So that's why you were shaking me." Am deduced as she nodded. "You were concerned about the health of a complete stranger?"

"Stranger or not," She began. "I can't ignore when someone is in danger! It goes against my beliefs as a Crusader!"

Am's hand started to twitch in his lap again; the idea of a selfless woman going out of her way to others in need with no regard for herself didn't seem real. "And I suppose you want some form of compensation?"

"Of course not!" The woman said offended. "Protecting those who are in danger is my true calling. I will gladly take on the suffering of anyone in need, no matter how painful it is!" She said with pride, a hand on her chest, but Am could swear he saw her blush… and was breathing heavier than usual. Maybe saying that little speech of hers took her breath away.

That still didn't stop Am's hand to stop twitching, and after hearing her nobel speech of helping others, he was now scratching it with his free hand. "So why are you here?" He asked, the pain of scraping his sensitive skin keeping him focused and reminded to not trust anything. "It's just like you said, people wouldn't be here at this hour."

"I'm here to give my thanks to Eris for answering my prayers." She said. "I've never found a place to belong among the other adventurers, but I finally found a group that let me join them!"

_Adventurers?_ Am thought._ Right,_ _Eris did say something about becoming one - how this new world is like an RPG_. Although, the idea of joining a group like what she did, had not settled well within his mind. He moved over to let the female adventurer sit next to him. "What's your name?"

"I am Darkness," She introduced herself. "A Crusader who defends her comrades from danger, despite the blistering agony I may face - I welcome it gladly!" He could feel the vibrations as she fidgeted in her seat before coughing in her hand to clear her voice. "...and what's your name?"

"Am."

"Am?" Darkness repeated the strange name, but it sounded too short to originate from the Crimson Demon Clan. "Are you a foreigner?"

"Yeah," Am said as memories of his family surfaced, they were so happy for him when he found love. "I am a foreigner. Everything I've encountered is vastly strange from what I am used to."

"Why would you say things are strange?" Darkness asked, the sun was starting to rise higher and shine through, and she could see how severe the condition of his skin is. "I mean, Axel is far, but it's not so different..."

"From my _perspective_, everything is strange." Am interrupted. "I just find it weird that after talking to Eris, I'm in a world where the coins are _named _after her, then I wonder into her _church_, then I meet one of her _followers_." He clarified. "It feels like this world revolves around her, and I am nothing more than an observer."

"Or it could mean she cares about you!" Darkness answered righteously. "It must be a sign of her aid!"

"Or it could be another sadistic attempt to get my hopes up," Am replied bluntly, making the Crusader flinch. "It hurts when a woman does it - I can't imagine what it would feel like when a goddess does it."

"Eris wouldn't do something so cruel!" Darkness said, defending the pantheon that helped her find a party that accepted her.

Am shrugged. "Maybe you're right." His answer seemed to calm her down a bit. "But having a single conversation doesn't reveal one's true personality."

"You've talked with the goddess of fortune? You mean by prayer?"

"No," Am shook his head, not really caring about who he told; if they call him crazy, so be it. "I met her, and I didn't get a clear look at her..." He then had a mesmerizing look in his bloodshot eyes. "...but I have to admit, she sounded so beautiful." Or it could be that Eris has charmed him - perhaps that is what all gods do: suppress free will.

Then again, Am could care less. He exists in a world ruled by higher powers, and there is nothing he can do about it. It doesn't matter.

"You _physically_ saw her?" Darkness asked in shock. "I may dream about her, but..." Her voice trailed off into silence at the absurdity of what she was about to say.

"Then maybe those dreams were real," Am said. "And perhaps what I saw was just a fever dream… I would have said that if it wasn't for these." He pulled the deck case from his hip with his left hand, jingling the bag of dice he tied around the wrist. "Tools I wanted to simulate life - both the good and the bad. A reminder of how good and bad things can happen, and we have no control over it."

"A boon from the goddess..." Darkness' interest was piqued, and even though she has no affinity for holy magic, she can feel the divine essence radiating from the bag of dice and the deck case, although there was something about the latter that made her on edge - the primal instinct of danger, and not the kind she enjoys. "What do they do?"

"A variety of things," Am opened the deck case. "Life is one big gamble, and I hope my luck doesn't run out soon."

"Shouldn't you pray to Eris first?" Darkness asked. "If luck is something you need, then asking wouldn't hurt!"

"If everything could be solved by asking the gods, life would be nothing more than a lie," Am answered, staying true to his philosophy. "If something good happens when I draw from the deck… I'll convert to the church of Eris."

"You will?" Darkness asked with a hint of excitement - it was always nice to see another devote of her faith, unlike the fanatics of the Axis cult. "But I didn't ask for you to join."

"I have nothing to lose," Am shrugged. "Besides, if I'm going to start praying to a goddess, I might as well go all the way."

Am opened the deck case with his free hand before taking the top-most, thick ivory card out, facing down as to not reveal what he drew. Darkness looked at them with awe at the simplicity and beauty of the designs etched on the back of the cards.

Am turned the card over.

There was a warm feeling flowing through him. Something shone and sparkled at the base of his feet. Darkness let out a gasp in awe. Am didn't know what card he drew.

But at least he could feel the letters on the card.

**GEM**

**50 pieces of jewelry each worth 1,000 eris appear at your feet.**


	3. Unsettling Information

There is a time in the day where businesses are slow, and the adventurer's guild in Axel was no exception. With all of the easy quests taken early as they were posted, those who completed them had spent the rest of the day relaxing at their homes. Those who took the more difficult tasks were still working, and wouldn't be back to the guild until the sun came down.

Those remaining in the building are adventurers who lazed around and getting drunk on booze, drinking their adventuring money away as fast as they could piss it out until they ran out days later. Only then would they bother to work.

For that is the calling of most wanting to work as an adventurer - easy money. While it was true some did it for fame, and a few did it to reduce the threat of monsters outside of society, everyone else joined due to the call of fortune one could earn.

While there is construction work, being an adventurer simply pays more, but more importantly, it pays _fast_. What one could earn working a day in construction, they could earn ten times in half the time exterminating monsters.

With a bigger income, means an easy life. Specifically, a lazy life. With comfort being a privilege for those who have it rough - like an older sister taking care of her younger brothers, or a son paying for expensive medicine for his sick mother - they would compete to snatch the easiest, high-paying quests. Some had good intentions of making money for others, the rest just wanted an easy payout.

Whatever the motivation, they all have the same consequence: leaving beginner adventurers to take what is left. A death wish.

Luna signed as she looked at the untaken quests hanging on the board, stamped with multiple red skulls that nearly covered the entire flier. As a receptionist managing the daily tasks for the guild, seeing people coming in here to get drunk and not work became a common sight as she overworked herself filling out documents and reports. Even the kitchen staff were content with sitting in the back of the room and gossiping with one another.

When she glanced at the patrons in the guild, her eyes landed on a man who looked confused and frustrated as he entered the building. His clothes were dirty on his sunburned skin that was unnaturally pale, which stood out against his dark hair. "Excuse me?" She called out to him when he just stood there for a few minutes looking around the guild building, but not really progressing. As he turned to the direction of the voice - his bloodshot eyes frightened her. "C-Can I help you?"

He tripped onto the floor as he approached her, laugher rang throughout the building as the few who didn't were the staff that gave him looks of pity as he stood back up, although none of them made the effort to help him stand. When he finally approached her, Luna noticed a small box on the left side of his hip, a small bag tied around his left wrist, and a large sack strapped on his back.

"I got lost trying to find this place." Am gestured to his bloodshot eyes. "But I was able to feel the letters on the signs around town." Then again, Am couldn't be sure. Everything, and everyone, looks the same when the world is nothing more than a cruel blur.

"And you sought this place because…?"

"I would like to register as an adventurer." He said bluntly.

Luna was hesitant to answer. "A-Are you sure you want to register as an adventurer, sir?"

"Sir?" He raised an eyebrow at the assumption of his age. Or maybe he is older - much older than he realized; he did spend a long time with a broken mind in the afterlife. "I might as well do something with my life. Looking like this-" He gestured to himself. "-doesn't give me any opportunities for anything else."

"I see…" Luna looked at him with a bit of sadness. Another poor soul unable to find steady work with no choice but to become an adventure. While it is not uncommon, it can still be a tragedy. It's a gamble they take to support themselves and their loved ones, and most of the time it ended in complete disaster. There were exceptions, as it paid off with wonderful success.

She just hoped this young man wouldn't end up like those desperate people before him.

Luna guided him to the counter after he paid the fine. "Just place your hand here..." She instructed before she let out a startled scream when the man moved his left hand to the orb device. "By the gods, what happened to your hand?!"

"I scratched it." His voice was so quiet, so cold and bored as if his reply was the obvious thing ever - the blood dripping down from the cracked fingernails was a big hint.

"Scratching doesn't do this!" Luna grabbed his hand before he placed it on the device. "You need to get his healed!"

"If I wanted it healed, I would have done it already, with the rest of my body… but you're right about one thing," He managed to pry his arm out of the receptionist's grip, he could still feel phantom needles jabbing into his arm where she grabbed him. "Scratching doesn't do this - my bag did."

The sack strapped to his back _growled_.

"How does a bag do that?" Luna took a cautionary step back as the sack squirmed. "Why do you even have something like that?"

"I was wondering around Axel before I entered a shop by chance." He explained. "There was a lady named Wiz who runs it?"

"Ah," Luna nodded in understanding. Even though she is not an adventurer herself, she has heard about the infamous shop that sells items that contradict the use. "So a bag that can hold items, but it hurts anyone that reaches inside."

"It's a lot bigger on the inside," The man reached back with his other hand, and his fingertips barely entered sack's opening before there was a loud _crunch _\- his eye twitched from the extreme spike of sudden pain - and pulled out a beautiful ring with a blue gem held between his bleeding index and middle fingers. It got covered in his blood. "It also gives out the desired item stored within, so I don't have to waste time trying to find something."

"But _why _did you get it?"

"It was cheap." He said, putting the ring in his pocket, feeling the magic of the spell Wiz infused into it. Apparently, turning regular accessories into magic items didn't come across as an idea for her - but Am made sure the rings did their proper function. "So can I get registered now?"

"O-Oh, of course!" Luna composed herself, guiding him to place his hand on the orb-like device. It glowed blue as it wrote his information on a special card. "Are you sure you don't want someone to heal your hand? There's an Archpriest who regularly comes here with her party."

"Who would want money I don't have."

"I'm sure she would do it for free," Luna reassured. "She healed the other adventurers during the cabbage harvest without payment."

"_Nothing_ in life is free." He emphasized thoroughly. "Nothing at all."

Then there was silence. Luna just silently prayed that his adventurer card would finish quickly as his unblinking, bloodshot eyes creeped her out. As the blue light died down, Luna picked up his card. "Here you are...Am?" Luna check to make sure she read the information correctly of the simple, yet odd, name. It didn't bother her too much, there have been stranger names like the Archwizard who could only cast one spell.

Luna read off his card. "Let's see...severely below-average physical stats…" So anything physically taxing was out. "Very high Intelligence but low Magic Power..." Am could select a class that is magic related, although he would struggle since his spells would be very weak. "Oh my goodness, your Luck is in triple digits! I never would have thought I'd seen another person with such high Luck."

"Another?" Am asked.

Luna nodded. "There was another adventurer named Kazuma who registered a while back," She explained. "His Luck was high, not as high as yours though."

"But Luck isn't a useful stat for adventurers," Am said. The knowledge he was given when he came to this world proved to be useful once more - maybe it could be one of the few certainties he has in his doubtful mind. "It's only good for merchants."

"It is." She nodded. "But that didn't stop Kazuma from becoming an adventurer, and I'm guessing it won't stop you either."

"No, it won't. Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Hmm..." Luna inspected his card, only to see something strange. "You have a class already? And a skill? That's strange it's usually blank until you've leveled up." She read it closely. "You have a Contractor class, and your skill is [Blessing of Eris]?" She had no idea what that class is, but she does have a clue of the skill. "Are you a follower of her church?"

"Only recently," Am recalled how he lost the bet he made with Darkness, but it was still nice of her to help him sell the rings for some eris without asking for anything in return. While Am had his doubts about the Crusader and still does, it's nice to be proven wrong once in a while. "So it that it?"

"Yep." Luna handed him his adventurer card. "I hope you become a successful adventurer, Am. Sadly, all of the beginner quests are taken, so if you come back tomorrow..."

Her words died out when he walked to the questing board, tracing his fingers across the letters on one of the fliers before snatching it off. "I take this one."

"A-Are you sure?" Luna read the requirements. "Traveling to an undead-filled mine to eliminate an infestation of mimics is not an easy task. You want to do this alone?" She felt like she is sending this man to his death if she allows him to continue.

"I'm sure," Am nodded, tapping the flier. "Besides, I already smeared my blood on it."

* * *

"Here we are lad," The old driver of the horse-drawn wagon stopped in the middle of a dirt path in the woods. "Travel west of the wagon, and you'll reach Stonefell Mines. I don't see why you want to go in there without any weapons or armor… or people."

"I got everything I need." Am tapped the deck case with his left hand, a bag of dice tied to his wrist. "But thanks for the ride, Old Man."

"Hmph,_ Old Man_." The driver scoffed with clear disdain for that name. "If it wasn't for the enchanted jewelry you gave me, I wouldn't even take you to this damn place!"

"It's still a magic item, and I'll give you more when you come to pick me up tomorrow," Am said, climbing out the back, making his way to the left side of the wagon. "Or don't - either way, I'm going in the mines."

"I'll come back alright." The driver said, his tone became insincere. "To identify your corpse when you die out here like the rest of the idiots who came here seeking easy money."

"If I don't, will you still give me a lift?" Am asked as he drew a card from his deck case. It wasn't a challenge or sass, it was a genuine question.

"Sure, why not." The driver scoffed as Am wasn't paying attention, looking at the card. The old man muttered under his breath about the youthful being arrogant and stupid these days. "Back to Axel, right?"

"...I don't know," Am shrugged. "Maybe?"

"Maybe?" The driver repeated. "You know where to go, but you don't know where to return? You avoiding people there or something?"

"Yeah," Am nodded as felt the letters on the thick ivory card he drew; it was a picture of a heavily-cloaked figure with a dagger. "You could say that."

**Rogue**

**Someone you know will betray you.**


	4. Disturbing Possibilities

"I wonder who will do it?" Am asked himself as he walked the path to Stonefell with blurry vision, but the dirt path was smooth and even, stomped down from those who traveled to the undead-infested place he is going to. At least he wouldn't have to worry about tripping on something. The path is too narrow for a wagon or carriage.

No monsters were lingering around. Just nature granting him a passing of silence as the phantom pains of his previous life came to surface.

Betrayal is one of life's disturbing reminders to never be comfortable. Even after the act, the image and feeling remains stronger than ever - remembering it all like a clean picture, and experiencing the harsh stimulation it brings.

But no one betrays strangers. If you rob a random person, you are merely a thief. If you sleep with a woman you didn't know was married, you are unknowingly becoming a tool for adultery. If the more sensitive parts of your life are exposed through quiet dialogue and whispering conversation, then it is merely gossip.

When these events happen, distanced with lack of emotional investment and commitment, a safety net forms for the mind - we get angry, sad, or shocked, and we simply shrug it off sometime later and move on with our lives, with the blissful conclusions that it is merely life as it is.

It all changes when the origin of these misfortunes have a _personal_ element mixed in.

If your friend steals from you, they abused your trust and saw you as nothing more than an easy source of cash.

If your spouse cheats on you, she was never devoted to you and cares about someone else more than you.

If you told someone you trusted with a personal secret, and it became widely known, then it becomes very clear they have no respect for your privacy.

That is when it hurts. It is the discovery, and the length it has gone on without you knowing, that shapes the wound inflicted on the soul. A gut-wrenching agony more painful than a sword to the heart, giving death the appearance of a pain reliever and not the origin of fear.

For Am, it took the literal consoling of a goddess to fix what his ex-girlfriend had destroyed, and he only got to meet her because the police shot him 17 times while he was in a blind rage.

Others are not so lucky.

Am felt the path crunch under his steps - it was gravel, and he knows he is nearing Stonefell mines.

"But how would they do it?" Am said to himself. "How far would they go?"

It's best to assume that whoever does the deed, they will do so to the best of their abilities, and according to **Rouge**, it is someone he _knows_. Yet Am knew he was just preparing himself for the worst-case scenario from the people he remembers.

Maybe Darkness will abandon him if he ever decides to join her on a quest, or maybe she will use her connections on the Eris church to brand him as a heretic and be hunted down and crucified.

Luna could confiscate his reward money after he completes quests for arbitrary reasons, or she could use her authority to contact other adventurer guilds to never accept him, forcing him into a life of hardship.

Perhaps Wiz - the weird owner of the magic shop who sell useless items - secretly cursed his jewelry when he got it enchanted, or maybe the sack she sold him will devour him and transport his belongings to her so she can sell them.

There is a chance Eris would smite him. Just kill him right on the spot with no warning or explanation. Just instant death and cold indifference. There was nothing stopping her, and there was nothing Am could do about it.

And those are just people he knows specifically, especially with how _vague _the card is, it could be someone he just met. Maybe it was one of the adventurers in the tavern who laughed at him. Maybe it was the people briefly encountered he asked for directions. Possibly the food vendors, or anyone else he wouldn't consider paying attention to.

In the end, like anything, it all came down to a matter of chance.

Am pulled out the card he drew earlier from his pocket.

**Rouge**

**Someone you know will betray you.**

Until the card activates, it won't disappear. **Gem** was instantaneous, and wouldn't linger for long as he received the valuables. But until someone - whether he knows them personally or not - commits the act of betrayal - no matter how extreme it will be - this card will always be a lingering warning.

Still, there is a reason why he requested Eris for a card like that in the deck: to keep his expectations low. Because if he does, he will never be disappointed.

* * *

Am traced his bloodied fingers over a splintered wooden sign that has been neglected.

**Stonefell Mines**

**Property of the Dustiness Family - trespassers and thieves will be handled with force.**

The mines were originally the property of one of the wealthiest noble families. They would excavate loads of special metal ore that has a high affinity for magic, making the common metals extracted from Stonefell worth 10 times the original market price.

The mines later became priceless when they discovered precious metals and gems deeper within. With such raw magical properties, creating magic items were no longer an issue for the Dustiness family since they could get the materials easy, and skyrocket the price after forging the completed item - effectively giving them a monopoly, and were able to weaponize jewelry to sell to other nobles, marketed as an easy means of protecting themselves.

But it all changed when they uncovered an entrance to a dungeon.

After the Dustiness family sent in a platoon of mercenaries and adventurers to clear out any possible threats, while escorting a squad of magic researchers to record anything significant, they later discovered the dungeon was a hidden lair of an unnamed Archwizard who passed centuries ago.

Archwizards possess tremendous magic power, and with the researchers' claim of how the air itself was humming with raw magic power, it made sense why the ores they harvested has an affinity for magic; they were practically marinated with the magical energies leaking from the dungeon.

But even for Archwizards, a place with so much magic power that it escaped the containment of the dungeon into the surrounding earth sounded ridiculous, but it was all they had to go one - the only plausible theory.

This only brought curiosity and greed. The former for trying to understand why an Archwizard of such prowess secluded herself deep underground and the latter for scavenging any valuables within.

From what Am heard, there were countless magical tomes and artifacts in the dungeon, but no one knows what they were.

Because only one traumatized person survived to tell the tale, and in a panicked frenzy they wrote another message on the sign with their blood.

_**Mimics everywhere! Don't trust anything!**_

Am walked to the entrance of the Stonefell Mines, a massive cave entrance that has been significantly widened to export loads of ore as fast as possible. Even with his blurred vision, he could see a neat pile of shiny gold ore laying near the entrance, where the sun is hitting just right to reflect its value.

He picked up a rock and threw it at the pile of gold.

Instead of the metallic sound of impact, Am only heard a soft thud - like hitting carpet - before serrated rings of teeth surrounded the pile of 'metal', which quickly warped back into a coiled tongue, and started biting the air.

"So that's a mimic," Am said, watching with crippled vision as the creature warped back into an unsuspecting pile of gold. The ability to take the shape of anything is a frightening ability. Am then untied the bag of dice on his left wrist. "Let's see if the rumors of Stonefell are true."

Am would have to succeed where many have failed. Not just in Stonefell, but with the world as well - he knows he is not the first to be reincarnated with the task of defeating the Demon King, and they probably had more powerful abilities and weapons from the gods. All he has are the cards and his bag of dice.

But unlike the cards, the dice are purely beneficial - they won't be detrimental in his progress.

Am reached in the little bag, his fingering brushing against the other dice before pulling out an octahedron - the eight-sided dice. When rolled, it will cast a powerful spell depending on the number, with a terrifying output as if it was cast by a god.

Yet there is one feature his dice have that are universally shared. Am knew evil exists, and the possibility of his divine items being stolen had crossed his mind. Eris suggested making the dice only work for him, but Am had a more _cruel _idea instead for anyone greedy enough to take from him.

"Hope I get a good number," Am flicked the eight-sided die in a small arc, letting tumble in the air before it landed on the disguised mimic.

The moment the die landed on top of the pile of 'gold', the mimic let out a pained scream as the octahedron's weight multiplied by an absurd amount. Instantly and easily sinking into the mimic's amorphous flesh, squashing and popping its alien organs as the monster caved into itself. The corners of the die piercing its skin and sunk all the way in the mimic's body as it let out an agonizing roar.

There was a loud _thud _as the die reached the lowest possible point where it sank in the shape-changing monster. With a thought, Am willed the octahedron to appear back in his hand. He looked at the number flashing on every surface of the die - it was an 8.

Am felt the magic channeling through him as he pointed his other hand at the dying mimic. "[Chain Lightning]!" Thick arcs of electricity shot out at the mimic, emitting a blinding light as it did. By the time it died down, the mimic was nothing more than a collapsing mass of electrocuted waste.

What he didn't expect was the sound of _another _dying mimic above the first disguised as a stalactite. Am could only describe it as a melted pile of odd liquid and flesh plopping down from above. It seemed that if a creature escaped the first mimic, or stayed in the same spot long enough and not approach the fake gold, then the second one would reach down and go for the kill.

He didn't know about the second mimic, although it would be obvious since natural formations don't appear by themselves in man-made areas, like the widened cave entrance. The pile of gold was a dead giveaway. Those who entered Stonefell never come out, falling prey to their greed, with their executioners being mimics. So Am doubted that someone just left an organized pile of precious metal out in the open.

It was actually smart of the mimic to take such a form - something valuable known to tempt sentient creatures, and something shiny and bright to attract beasts.

The amount of animal bones in the first mimic made it very clear. The upper torsos of digested victims in the second mimic and the lower halves in the first one suggested that the two shapechangers were working together - splitting the spoils of deceit.

Am would have never been able to make such a discovery if he didn't have his dice.

"It really is a cheat item." The smell of predigested flesh and bones within the dead monsters reminded him of what to focus on. "...Let's see if those rumors are true." Am said to himself, reaching deeper and peeling away chunks of the mimic that fell from above to reveal helmets, armor, and the occasional jewelry, of those who had been digested to the duo mimics. He placed them in his biting sack. "At least these will have a use now instead of being digested." He couldn't picture himself wearing the armor he found. "I guess the rumors were true - mimics do have a lot of loot on them."

That is why there was only one survivor of the original expedition of the dungeon in Stonefell. It is the reason why the Archwizard who isolated himself. Both of them have a common factor, something people would never discover until much later.

The mimics.

What people assumed of the vast magical energy left behind from the Archwizard was only partially correct - magic was being left behind, and spreading into the earth, but only because of the experimented mimics that escaped the dungeon before the Archwizard sealed it shut.

Lying dormant over the years, these mimics would secrete magical energy into the rock and ores near where they slumber. It was only due to dumb luck that the miners hadn't awakened one with their wreckless excavations.

Until they opened the dungeon.

The familiar mana flooding out from the Archwizard's lair who created them triggered the enhanced mimic's awakening. Within moments these awakened mimics stealthily crawled and plotted, studied and copied, until they were master ambushers and picked off everyone in the mines.

A man rests against a wall, only to fall back in a mouth filled with sharp teeth.

A Wizard reaches a bookshelf containing magical books until it wraps around and crushes him.

A crew of magic researchers eagerly approaching a desk covered in notes, only for barbed tongues to shoot out from the base and drag them into a carnivorous maw.

A panicked Rouge opens a door, not revealing a hallway, but the teeth of a starved mimic.

It all goes on, according to the testimony of the survivor.

There have been plenty of attempts by the Dustiness family to regain control over the mines, but the number of casualties only increased until it reached a triple-digit number.

That flyer for this quest at the adventurer's guild only gets placed to be updated - stamping more red skulls to show the level of danger, and increasing the reward promised upon completion.

Even the rumors of the loot from the deceased still being in there was enough to attract those who are arrogant, or desperate, to earn an easy fortune. Getting valuable equipment soaking in the magical energies of the experimented mimics, turning them into magic items, was enough reason for them to try their luck.

But luck quickly runs out in Stonefell. Those who died and digested slowly in this horrible place now haunt it, unable to move on due to a terrible fate, and angry that they are now part of the threat that kills anyone who enters.

All of it planned by the mimics created by the Archwizard.

Am pulled out a sword from the mimic that disguised itself as a pile of gold. The weapon is made out of iron, the leather straps that wrapped around the grip was eroded, and the blade is chipped. But when he swung the weapon, he felt as if the weapon was weightless, and it easily cut through the stone.

"A sword that drastically increases the attack speed of the user," Am observed before placing it in his sack, ignoring the pain that followed. That magical sword was just one of the many things he found in that mimic, along with the other one. "I just hope the sack has enough room to carry it all with me."

As Am began to venture deeper into the mines, he stopped before realizing something and let out a small laugh. '_I just hope the sack has enough room to carry it all with me._' Am mentally repeated, foolishly being optimistic.

He is stupidly assuming he is going to survive this place long enough to bring all the loot back.


End file.
